From the Heart: From the Heart: United in Pink

Wednesday, September 29, 2021 | Vol. 2, No. 8

United in Pink

Hope you like pink.

October begins Friday, and St. Tammany Health System is taking its annual Breast Cancer Awareness Month observance to the next level with United in Pink, a community-wide campaign designed by St. Tammany Hospital Foundation to rally support across the Northshore in the fight against breast cancer.

That, of course, includes reminding women to get their annual mammograms, and we’re making that easier than ever, with our new, 40-foot Be Well Bus bringing its on-board mammography equipment to events across the parish all month long.

But that’s just the start. Given how important early detection is when it comes to breast cancer, we’ll be partnering with community groups throughout October to unite the whole parish behind the effort.

We urge you to join us in that fight, whether it’s attending one of our scheduled events; buying one of our United in Pink T-shirts to benefit cancer care services here at St. Tammany; or inviting us to your own festival, neighborhood gathering or employee health fair.

Learn more about our United in Pink campaign at STHfoundation/UnitedinPink, and check the news feed at StTammany.health for updates as new events are added.

And most importantly, if you haven’t already, call (985) 773-1500 to schedule your mammogram today.

Community Checkup with Joan Coffman

Between the pandemic and Hurricane Ida, we’ve been busy around here – and things will only get busier with the arrival of October and all the usual fall happenings on tap, STHS President and CEO Joan Coffman says.

Watch video

Community checkup with Joan Coffman for September 2021

‘Man, I was blessed’

Irvin Keller had been there before, having undergone open-heart surgery in 2004 and again in 2014. But when he arrived at the STHS Emergency Department recently, it was different.

This time, it was dire.

“He was going to die,” said Dr. Smita Patel, an Ochsner physician and one of Mr. Keller’s army of care providers. “If he would have been sent home, he would have gone back into failure. I think he would have died in maybe a couple of months.”

But this time, through compassion, innovation and teamwork, Mr. Keller left the hospital just two days after a minimally invasive procedure known as TAVR that Dr. Patel said has given him 10 to 20 more years.

Read the full story

After Ida

As you might expect, STHS’s Emergency Departments stayed open through Hurricane Ida – but the health system didn’t escape the storm entirely unscathed. Damage to STHS facilities has prompted the temporary relocation of our Express Care clinic, St. Tammany Pediatrics and our pediatric rehab operation.

In the news

St. Tammany Health System’s award-winning heart care program has earned it a spot in U.S. News & World Report’s 2022 “Best Hospitals” guidebook, an annual publication that recognizes hospitals for their commitment to quality and patient improvement in the heart care arena, as designated by the American College of Cardiology.

Welcome to St. Tammany

One had been working in food service. Another worked in retail. And thanks to a new paid, entry-level apprenticeship program at STHS, they and four others are now part of the health system’s surgical team. Click the link to learn more about how it is launching careers.

End of an era

It’s no secret that a big part of STHS’s success is the people who make up the organization – which always makes it hard to say goodbye to folks like Pat Pope. Fifty-five years to the day of her hiring, Pat retired Sept. 17, ending a career she started as a 17-year-old in 1966.

St. Tammany Health System